The action in progress It will see Israel become one of the UK’s most trusted allies in thwarting cyber attacks, according to a Foreign Office insider. Talks on a trade deal are also set to begin early next year.
According
to report, UK and Israel’s foreign ministers have declared that they will work
“night and day” to stop Iran getting a nuclear weapon as they sign a “historic”
10-year plan for deepening ties.
In a joint
article for The Daily Telegraph (see below), Liz Truss, the Foreign Secretary,
and Yair Lapid, Israel’s foreign affairs minister, preview their new
“memorandum of understanding”.
The
agreement, which will be signed on Monday, will enable the UK and Israel to
work more closely on issues such as cybersecurity, technology development,
defence, trade and science.
A renewed
commitment to stop Tehran ever getting nuclear weapons
“We
believe that a democracy rooted in freedom - which empowers citizens with the
opportunity to innovate, create and fulfil their dreams - is the finest form of
government,” the two ministers write.
One of the
most eye-catching aspects of their joint piece is a renewed commitment to stop
Tehran ever getting nuclear weapons - a subject of talks that start again this
week.
Negotiators
from the UK will join those of other signatories to the Joint Comprehensive
Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear deal as talks restart in Vienna today.
The
original agreement was struck in 2015 and saw Iran agree to stop pursuing its
nuclear programme in return for economic sanctions being lifted by the other
countries.
There have
been hopes of a renewed deal with President Joe Biden
However,
Donald Trump withdrew America from the deal during his presidency and reimposed
sanctions, prompting Iran to push ahead with its nuclear advancement once
again.
Since Joe
Biden has taken over the White House there have been hopes of a renewed deal
with Tehran but talks remain at an impasse.
The
original signatories to the JCPOA were China, France, Germany, Iran, Russia,
the UK, the US and the European Union.
Barack
Obama hailed the original agreement as one of his most significant foreign policy
achievements but Mr Trump dubbed it the “worst deal ever” and made it a
campaign issue in the 2016 election, which he won.
Israel and
the UK have a trading relationship worth £5 billion. Rolls-Royce supplies jet
engines to Israel’s national airline and the Israeli pharmaceutical giant Teva
provides one in six of the NHS’s prescription medicines.
Ms Truss
was closely involved with preparations for trade deal talks as international
trade secretary, the role she held until Boris Johnson’s Cabinet reshuffle in
September.
Still only
two months into her job as Foreign Secretary, Ms Truss has said she wants to
put economic diplomacy at the heart of her approach to reshaping Britain’s
foreign policy.
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